The Museum had two overarching goals, which
included increasing the profile of the museum and extending content to the
digital realm. The developers’ challenge was to produce titles that explored the
relationship between entertainment and education, while creating games that are
competitive in the cluttered mobile landscape.

Seed Interactive and the Canada Science &
Technology Museums Corporation decided to co-create a publishing company called
Illumination Gamesto explore self-funded
titles and to understand the mobile game ecosystem. By merging the Museum’s
historical research and interpretation expertise with the interactive genius of
SEED, they have been able to generate a number of engaging experiences.

Ace Academy: Black Flight is the
second mobile game in the Corporation’s successful trilogy that also includes Ace Academy and Ace Academy: Skies of Fury, which together have been downloaded
over 300,000 times in 185 countries. Designers are Renée Racicot and Erin
Gregory from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and Dan Stopnicki and Aaron
Mclean from SEED.

According to the Canada Aviation and Space
Museum, “the narrative of Ace Academy:
Black Flight is inspired by the operational history of No. 10 Squadron of
the Royal Naval Air Service, or Naval 10. Black
Flight refers to a Squadron group, led for a time by distinguished Canadian
aviator, Raymond Collishaw (1893–1975). The game tells an engaging story about
the Squadron through the eyes of a fictional member.”

“The narrative and missions were integrated
into the game’s interface through a scrapbook. Small artifacts, maps, and
photos were used to give a sense of authenticity.”

“Based on storiesof Canadian pilots in the First World War, it was important to the
Museum to feature Canadian airmen who served with Naval 10. The need for a
short but powerful narrative limited the number of actual pilots who could be
mentioned.”

The airplanes featured in Black Flight are all from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s
collection. Most, but not all, were flown by Naval 10 pilots. The Bristol F.2B
Fighter and the Sopwith Snipe were not Squadron airplanes. They were included
to give players a wider variety of airplanes, while showing the era’s great
leaps in technology and aircraft design.

“Every effort was made to remain true to the
technology available at the time. Players can upgrade engines and weapons with
limited but historically accurate choices. The offered paint schemes are
accurate, although users are free to create their own as well.”

“While every effort was made to remain true to
the operational history of Naval 10, liberties have been taken to support the
playing experience. For example, it was impossible to re-create a specific
Squadron mission. Whenever possible, however, the missions in the game are
based on those typically undertaken by Naval 10. Some missions are entirely fictional and were
included for diversity of gameplay. Every effort was made to reflect the areas
over which Naval 10 actually patrolled and fought, whether the mission was
fictional or not.”

Gameplay

The player will go through 4 levels with 36
missions which range from dogfighting in the air to attacking targets in the
water or on land. The environments go from summer to winter scenes. All were
computer-generated imagery (CGIs). The difficulty increases as the user goes
from level to level. The aircraft’s behavior was modified based on their actual
flying characteristics. Here are some examples of some of the missions and
environments.

Level 1 – Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c
attacking a Zeppelin

Level 2 – Nieuport 12 attacking a submarine

Level 3 – Sopwith Camel dogfighting in the air

Level 4 – Bristol F.2B Fighter in the air

“The First World War, although a time of
destruction and great loss of life, was also one of innovation, on and off the
battlefield. Aviation was barely 11 years old when the war broke out, and the
notion of war in the air still seemed like science fiction. Aviators of the
First World War developed tactics and maneuvers that later formed the basis of
aerial combat. Ace Academy: Black Flight
aims to share, albeit in a small way, some of that experience with modern
audiences.”

Ace Academy: Black Flight takes
museum apps beyond the era of the digital audio guide and typical museum
applications, entering the world of gamers and engaging with a new audience.